26 Feb 2017

A question about : featheredge boards for raised beds

Hi guys

Have decided that I am just gonna make some raised beds for my lottie

Reason for this is simple, I am fed up of digging only to step on the damn thing again!!

Now in the past I have made the odd raised bed from decking board but this seem s to have doubled in price since I last bought any.

So with the lack of to hand pallets and scaffolding boards I thought one of the most economic way would be to use some featheredge boards that you use for fencing.

Other than maybe them not lasting as long as thick scaffolding planks can anyone see a problem here?

Best answers:

  • My only question would be what have they been treated with.
  • I was going to ask what to use to make my raised beds for as little as possible. I have found somewhere to get used scaffolding boards, but they want Ј2.50 a metre. Gravel boards seems cheaper and i have made some from that before. I ahve also seen decking and was thinking about that, although I havent priced it out yet. I thought making it out of used pallets would be too flimsy and time consuming to make.
    ANy ideas?
  • https://www.diy.com/nav/garden/fencin...oards-11987796
    It says treated, maybe someone will know what with
  • I personally use decking boards which work out at Ј4 for 2.2m in B&Q for there fairly basic range. Scaffolding boards are wider and thicker. All depends on how big you want your bed to be.
    Pallets work well considering they are free. Yes they will rot down bit faster as they are thinner but again the cost is pretty much zero.
  • Depending on the height of the beds, featheredge is unlikely to be strong enough to retain whatever you use to fill the void - unless you engineer it specifically with something light like polystyrene blocks.
    Wood has generally got more expensive...
  • Or something like this https://www.diy.com/nav/garden/fencin...imber-11987804 but again when they say treated...?
  • Stick with decking boards , featheredge will fall apart .Gravel boards are worth a thought.
  • Right its gonna be gravel boards, unless there is a bank holiday sale on decking!
    Do you guys reckon the treatment used will be ok?
  • i think i may do the same then! I know when i bought gravel boards before, i found them cheaper at places like gibbs and dandy rather than b and q.
  • just back from travis perkins. they have 3m length gravel boards on special offer, Ј3.60. So i now have a few in the garage.
  • luckily i have a galaxy and they went in just fine!
  • If the soil is okay, but you want to avoid compaction, why not put planks down as paths? You walk on the planks, not the beds, and you will require less wood, and you won't need to find new soil to fill raised beds. Just a suggestion.
    I have stone paths in my veg garden, the composite stone from B&Q is pretty good and cheapish. You do need 5cm of sand beneath though.
  • i just paid Ј8 for 13 foot scaffold boards to use for raised beds..............worth every penny...........will last for years.
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